As a UConn fan, I don't laugh at much anymore, especially when, in the same past scenario, we would laugh at the thought of powerhouse Rutty going B1G. No one in NYC cares about Rutgers, but that didn't stop the cable TV pull; repeat scenario for BC. Whenever one thinks they might know what is driving conference realignment, we see everything from perennial losers like Rutgers to dumpsterfire academic programs like Ville joining a conference that once prided itself on that front to programs with more recent success (SMU) paying their way into the ACC with Big Oil money all while Oregon State gets pushed out.
Call everything that happens luck at this point, the right place (cities with high tv markets) at the right time (recent success).